Silvio Pettirossi International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional de Asunción Silvio Pettirossi
Front view of ASU Terminal
IATA: ASU – ICAO: SGAS
Summary
Airport type		Public
Serves		Asunción
Location		Luque, Paraguay
Elevation AMSL		89 m / 291 ft
Coordinates		25°14′23″S 057°31′09″W / 25.23972°S 57.51917°W / -25.23972; -57.51917
Website		www.dinac.gov.py
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
02/20	3,353	11,000	Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2009)
Passengers			595,145
Statistics: DINAC

Silvio Pettirossi International Airport (IATA: ASU, ICAO: SGAS) is Paraguay's main national and international gateway, located at Luque, suburb of the capital Asunción. It is named after the Paraguayan aviator Silvio Pettirossi and was formerly known as Presidente Stroessner International Airport, after Paraguay's former head of state General Alfredo Stroessner.

History

The airport serves as hub for TAM Paraguayan Airlines and newly created airline Regional Paraguaya.

The terminal building splits into domestic and international concourses, with 2 gates (5 and 6) and 4 gates (1 to 4) respectively. However, the airport currently receives only one domestic flight, handled at the International Concourse. The domestic concourse handles cargo, general aviation and charter flights.

On 3 August 2008, local newspaper Diario ABC Color reported that aeronautical officers at the airport were taking advantage of their positions by creating fake company entities that dealt with aircraft handling services, and thus violating safety operational guidances and procedures.

Airlines and destinations

Incidents and accidents

• 16 June 1955: Panair do Brasil, a Lockheed L-049/149 Constellation registration PP-PDJ flying from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Buenos Aires - Ezeiza via São Paulo and Asunción hit a 12m tree while on final approach to land at Asunción. Part of the wing broke-off, the aircraft crashed and caught fire. Of the 24 passengers and crew aboard, 16 died.
• 27 August 1980: Transporte Aéreo Militar - TAM Paraguayo, a Douglas C-47B registration FAP2016 crashed on approach to Silvio Pettirossi International Airport. The aircraft was on a flight to Ayolas when an engine failed shortly after take-off and the decision was made to land back at Asunción. One person was killed
• 11 November 2007: an Airbus 340 of Air Comet flight en-route to Santiago had an emergency landing at 07:30 AM local time due to a broken windshield. The aircraft was carrying 227 passengers from Spain; most of which were accommodated at a local hotel of the capital Asuncion.
• 5 August 2008: a twin-engine small plane carrying Paraguay's Minister of Agriculture, Cándido Vera Bejarano, and Luis Ortigoza, a top member of local Liberal Party, almost brought about a tragedy when folding itself its undercarriage after touch-down on the runway of Pettirossi airport. The incident mobilized the security system and forced to declare alert III. The incident occurred nearly 18:24 hrs. local time, when the aircraft with matriculation ZP TET, property of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, touched down the airport's runway, after returning from Pilar's Carlos Miguel Jiménez Airport. The small plane was piloted by Gerardo López. All three people on board were safe, although one of the plane's wings made contact with the runway's asphalt.

Access

The airport, located within Luque, may be reached from the city of Asuncion via the Airport Main Road (Avenida Aviadores del Chaco), which runs adjacent to nearby Ñu Guasú Park. Asuncion's local bus line 30-A links the city center with the airport's terminal.

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
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